Player Features and Ideas Discussion

This occurred to me when I was responding to something in another thread.

Eve Online is designed to promote group gameplay in many ways. The requirement of a Cyno to move jump capable ships, the need of a scout to move anything of value in Null Sec, Low Sec, and frequently even Hi Sec, the low relative cargo holds of mining ships thus the need for a hauling alt.

But we have all played at times when we needed to do such things on our own while very few Corpmates where online so we purchased Alt accounts.

But many complain about the prevalence of alt accounts.

They want to limit how many Alpha Clone accounts that can be logged in at any give time due to the advantage it gives.


So the question is...

Should we continue to have game design that tries to force us into group play, and therefore the need for alt accounts when we are on our own from time to time?

Or should game design be changed to lessen the need and advantage of those alt accounts?



If we should continue as is, then there should be no limit to how many accounts we can have logged in, Alpha or Omega.

If we should reduce the need for them then we should change the game design where it encourages it:
As in;

-Allow jump capable ships to jump without a cyno to any given Star where they are not blocked due to being Hi Sec or online structure, and maybe have a probe-able signature appear close to jump in for a short period of time.
-Increase range you appear from destination gate on gate jumps to make it harder to gate camp and get all traffic.
-Make it harder to bump Freighters and Jump Freighters.


With those few, but highly debated changes, we could lessen the need for alts.

But, this will affect CCP's bottom line unless we can attract more new players than the alts that would be no longer needed.


So, if the community doesn't want to make such changes, and wants to continue the need for many of us to need multiple accounts to do the things we need, then..

..We should stop all this complaining about the concern of how many Alpha Clones may or may not be logged in at any given time.


Either accept all the alts or remove the need for them. Don't demand to limit the alts while still demanding that we keep the game design that has made them so valuable.

I don't believe that promoting game design that highly favors alts and trying to limit Alpha Clones is a winning combination.

Why? Because the need for alts for so much of our gameplay could be the reason many don't continue this game. They would probably rather to go to another game they don't need to pay double for to truly enjoy.

Because they could end up with more subs in the end if more people have quit or won't play the game due to the necessity for having subscribed alts much of the time.

How many don't play this game due to the well known fact of the need for multiple accounts at times and how many more players would play this game if there wasn't such a need to have two accounts to move the biggest and or most fun toys in the game?

If that number could be determined, then CCP would just need to calculate how many accounts they would lose to see which would be better. But, how many players would Eve Online lose due to such changes in game design as well?

If only 15k more players would sub with such changes, but they would lose 50k subs, then obviously that would be a bad decision.
But if they could gain 500k subs and only lose 150k subs due to lack of need for alts and those who ragequit, then they would be better off.

This may become more relevant once the new subscription model takes effect in November.

alpha clone alts and standard alts are two different things... one is a lot easier to abuse